The driver of an overweight vehicle lost control upon braking in the outbound Squirrel Hill Tunnel Friday, causing it to overturn and block Parkway East traffic for two hours, according to state police.
Troopers said Ronell L. Smith, 44, of Pittsburgh, was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck with a semi-trailer attached at 9:20 a.m. when the trailer began to sway back and forth. The trailer was loaded with a skid steer and other equipment.
The vehicle collided with barriers on both sides of the highway and overturned, police said.
Troopers determined that the pickup and trailer were 8,160 pounds over the allowable weight for the vehicles.
“The vehicle being overweight likely contributed to the failure of braking systems … and causing it to overturn,” troopers wrote in a news release.
Police said they plan to file charges against Smith and the owners of the vehicle. Nothing had been filed early Saturday. It was unclear from the news release if Smith was driving the vehicle for a company.
Smith was able to get out of the vehicle on his own, police said. He had minor injuries.
The crash snarled traffic for miles and motorists were forced to exit the highway.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
